A Dance to the Music of Spring

It’s the season for plans and projects, frivolity, and fun

Now that spring is here, get outside to renew your body and soul in refreshing sunshine. (Fei Meng)

For some folks, spring cleaning means stowing away the boots and heavy coats of winter and boxing up items from the closet for a run to the thrift shop. They deep-scour kitchens and bathrooms, wash windowpanes and screens, and run a damp rag along the baseboards.

The energetic throw open the garage and separate the accumulated treasures from the junk or break out brushes and stain and refinish the back deck.

Likewise, after a winter of salivating over seed catalogs and dreaming of tomatoes ripening on the vine, gardeners head outside shouldering shovels and rakes to work the earth. Soon, they’re planting beds of flowers and vegetables, mowing and clipping the lawn, and tending to perennials such as hollyhocks, daylilies, and peonies.

This impulse to discard or refashion the old, and to plant and grow, surely derives from nature itself. After all, spring is a symphony of renewal, with its birdsong, whispering breezes, and melodies of sunlight and soft rains awakening barren fields and hibernating woodlands. The spring cleaning crew and the gardeners are just dancing to the rhythms of the season.

And what if we don’t join these enthusiasts by scrubbing down lawn chairs or digging our fingers into the dirt? The beguiling music of spring can still put us to work—on ourselves. Those breezes that run through the house can cleanse our hearts and minds; the wildflowers and budding trees can act as gardeners to our souls.

In their article “15 Scientific Reasons Spring Is the Most Delightful Season,” writers at Mental Floss list some of the gifts of the season: the moderate temperatures, the longer days, increased vitamin D delivered via sunlight, and more. They also cite a University of Michigan study that found that being outdoors in the months of April, May, and June improves mood and memory and even leads to more creative thinking.

Clearly, this time of blossom and bloom gives each of us the chance to spiff up our hearts and minds and till our interior gardens.

And here’s the good news: This vernal equinox festival is open to all, free of charge. So how do we enhance our dance with spring?

It’s quite simple, really. We just need to spend time outdoors every day, weather permitting. Many studies show that open air reduces stress, boosts life satisfaction, and helps us sleep better. The increased sunshine produces more serotonin in our bodies, which in turn contributes to greater positivity and overall happiness.

Taking evening strolls, exercising outside rather than driving to the gym, or even just sitting on the porch or stoop bestows these vitamins of spring.

It also helps to keep in mind the ancient Greek mythological figure Persephone. During the cold months, she was queen of the Underworld, but spring released her from this prison, and she became the beloved goddess of agriculture, fertility, and growth. Recollecting this myth should inspire us to escape the iron bars of our own cold weather confinement and breathe in the fresh air and sunshine.

Finally, slowing our pace to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of spring can lift our spirits, allowing us to entertain future hopes and possibilities and to catch the season’s spirit of fun and festivity.

“Spring is the time of plans and projects,” Leo Tolstoy wrote in “Anna Karenina.”

Comedian Robin Williams took a different slant: “Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’” Both are valid viewpoints that can walk side-by-side.

The grand ball of spring has commenced. Let’s join the dance.